I Hate You
by BittersweetEnd
Summary: They hated each other, but they had risked their lives to save one another on more than one occasion. It was an unspoken, but mutual understanding that they'd walk through hell and back for each other, while at the same time being the one putting them through it. That was over though, and they were never getting it back.


It was graduation day. Kyle was finally done with high school and could finally get out of this damn town. He would at last be free; away from this dumb school. His dumb friends. His dumb family. All of these dumb people and their bullshit.

 _I hate them. I hate them all._

Of course, Kyle didn't truly mean that. He loved his family and he cherished his friends. The past couple of years however, have just been... Hard. Over time it had gotten to a point where he can't feel much of anything except a bitterness. Anger... Hatred. Why? It doesn't matter. He didn't care.

Kyle slammed his locker shut for the last time. It's over. He was finally done with this God forsaken school and he already had plans to move to California. He was done with South Park. Done with Colorado. He's leaving as soon as possible and was going to room with Stan in the cheapest apartment they could find.

Stan. Kyle's only friend that he cared about enough that he wasn't sure he could just up and leave. At first when he decided he couldn't stay here anymore he was scared to even talk to the dark haired man. They had been best friends for so long, Kyle wasn't sure if he could take it. After opening up to him about the bitterness that was sprouting throughout his being however, Stan agreed that leaving was what was best for him.

Kyle would never admit it, especially to him, but he actually cried tears of joy and relief that night when his friend told him that he didn't want to be so far away from him... That he wanted to go with him.

Kyle never opened up to anyone else. Only him. It would only ever be him. No one else would ever know because it didn't matter anymore. He didn't care. He didn't care. He didn't _fucking_ care.

Turning away from his old locker he slowly started walking down the hall. Around the corner were those double doors that would free him from this place. The exit. He wasn't going to bother with goodbyes to anyone. He didn't need to. He hated them anyway.

Kyle turned down the hallway before stopping dead in his tracks when his green eyes locked with brown. His heart dropped into his stomach and he felt a lump form in his throat as he saw him.

Eric Cartman. It was all him. This was all his fault.

For a moment, all they did was stare at each other. It drove him insane the way the other just stood there, not moving. He was _still_ looking at him. Kyle clenched his fist tight; he wanted to punch him. He wanted to scream at him to die and go straight to hell. Yet, he couldn't. They simply stared at each other, and Kyle couldn't move.

The red haired man narrowed his eyebrows as the taller of the two hesitantly took a few steps forward.

 _What the fuck is he doing!?_

Bye the time he reached him, Kyle was practically baring his teeth at him, as if challenging him to set him off.

"Kyle."

Hearing him say his name made him want to collapse and cry out in anger. He wanted to punch a hole in the fucking wall. No, better yet, in Eric's skull.

"What. The fuck. Do you want?" Kyle replied through gritted teeth. Cartman looked slightly taken aback at his aggressive tone and very unwelcoming body language causing him to lower his gaze to the space in between their feet. Kyle felt his teeth grind together and it was making his mouth really sore, but he didn't care.

"Two fucking years, fatass. You haven't so much as looked at me in two. Fucking. Years." He spat. It wasn't entirely true, he had caught Eric staring at him occasionally, but whatever. It didn't fucking matter. The bastard had avoided him for two years so what the hell was he doing now?

Again, there was a silence and Eric just stood there, looking at their feet not saying a _fucking_ word. Kyle waited just a few more seconds feeling his teeth grating together and he felt at this rate he'd taste blood in no time. Unable to keep it in anymore he let out a yell of frustration.

"Are you just wasting my time, fatass!? Get the hell out of my way!" He shouted, yet he made no move to shove him out of his path or walk around him. He continued to glare up at his former enemy, waiting for something, _anything_.

Finally, Cartman raised his gaze to lock eyes with him. Kyle saw the look in his eyes, it was filled with sorrow, regret, pain, and something else he couldn't quite place. It almost made him pity the bigger man. Almost.

"Kyle. I'm sorry."

 _Oh. So that's what this is._

Kyle felt like laughing. He should have fucking known. He knew what this was. He knew exactly what was happening. This jerkass has done this before. He's done it to him, to Kenny, to Butters, To Heidi, to pretty much everyone. He didn't know why he decided to start this bullshit with _him_ again after so long but it didn't matter. After today he'd never see him again.

Cartman was a master manipulator. He could trick you into believing anything. The situation could range from something completely stupid to something surprisingly brilliant. In cases where he hurts someone or makes someone angry, he'll beg for their forgiveness and tell them that they're right, he's wrong. He'll praise them and do whatever he can to get them to come back to him just so he can hurt them all over again. It's a never ending cycle...but not this time. Not with Kyle Broflovski.

Kyle scoffed and rolled his eyes before opening his mouth to respond bitterly before he was interrupted.

"I heard you're planning to move away. Is that true?"

Kyle glared daggers into him before replying. "Why do you care?"

Eric broke their eye contact to look down nervously before taking a deep breath, and looking back towards him.

"Look Kyle. I don't want you to leave-"

"I don't give a shit what you want, asshole! Don't act like you care! You fucking disappeared on me one day, so fuck off." It was then that Kyle was going to push past him, and walk out those doors and be rid of this place. Be rid of him... but he doesn't. He stays right where he is and watches Cartman closely.

Of course, Cartman notices this.

"I think you do care, Kyle. Or you wouldn't even be standing here. I think I know why you're still here too. You want closure, don't you?"

At this, Kyle felt his face twist in anger. No. No, he doesn't get to think that he cares about him, or that he effects him in any way at all. He fucking hates him. Plain and simple.

"Please, I don't give a shit about you. I know what you're doing. You're running out of people to destroy, so you're coming back to me to get back whatever we were before aren't you? Well, it's not happening." Kyle growled, his tone laced with resentment. Their dynamic... they weren't friends, but they weren't truly enemies either. They hated each other, but they had risked their lives to save one another on more than one occasion. It was an unspoken, but mutual understanding that they'd walk through hell and back for each other, while at the same time being the one putting them through it. That was over though, and they were never getting it back. Eric was manipulating him anyway, he never really cared, he never-

"I started avoiding you because... It started to hurt."

Kyle's train of thought immediately derailed and he was left confused and unable to think clearly for a moment. What started to hurt? What the hell is he talking about and where did it come from?

Cartman must've noticed the puzzled look on the others face, because he didn't wait long to continue.

"Saying those awful things to you. Pretending I hated you. Making you feel like you had to hate yourself."

At that, Kyle did laugh.

"Wow, Cartman! You really _are_ full of shit!" He guffawed, having to hold his stomach and raise an arm to support himself on one of the lockers next to him. Eric paid it no heed.

"I fell in love with you, Kyle."

Kyle suddenly stopped laughing and let the angry scowl return. He felt his body heat up at those words.

 _Liar. Fucking liar._

"To get back whatever we were before." Kyle felt his breath hitch slightly when Eric repeated his own words back to him. "You didn't have to say it like that. You felt it too, didn't you? You knew we weren't just 'frienemies'. There was something more. You felt it, didn't you?"

Near the end there, it started to sound like Eric wasn't sure, he was just hoping, begging even, for him to tell him that he felt it too. It was pathetic.

Kyle felt even more pathetic though, because it was true.

Throughout their little wars with each other, there was always this energy between them that was a bit... too much. They'd glare into each others eyes for just a tad too long, call each other names just to get a rise from the other a little too often, hold each other down a bit too long when in a fist fight.

No. _No_. Kyle wasn't falling for it. He's lying. He's. Lying. He opened his mouth to telling him it isn't true; that he's disgusting and should go off himself, but that isn't what comes out.

"I fucking hate you." Is all he manages to say. He curses himself, because saying that wasn't technically denying Cartman's allegations. _Fuck. Fuck!_

Something shifts in Eric's brown eyes at that, but he once again falls silent.

"You hate me?" The taller man dares, a moment later.

"I do. I hate you so fucking much." He responded, his voice much lower now.

"Liar." Eric stated simply with just a hint of a smile that caused Kyle to narrow his eyes even further, his entire body on fire.

"If you did, you wouldn't let me be this close to you."

 _Fuck._

As they were talking, Eric had been slowly leaning in towards him, and now their faces were mere inches apart. Kyle had tried to ignore it, but now he was fighting with every fiber in his being not to look down at the others lips.

"It's not like I have you cornered, Kyle. If you want to leave, nothing's stopping you." Cartman whispered. "But please, let me try to prove to you that I'm a better man now."

Kyle couldn't tear his gaze from those damn brown eyes, because if he did, he'd stare at those lips. He was screwed. The hallway was empty, all the students long gone, happy to be home for the summer.

"I... Hate you..." He repeated under his breath, just loud enough for the other to hear. Cartman made a sound similar to that of a growl, and suddenly his lips were upon his. They felt soft, so soft. Much different than his dry, chapped ones. One of Kyle's arms involuntarily wrapped around his neck, and the other wormed its way around his waist as he leaned his body against him. Eric grabbed him to support his weight, and without breaking the kiss, he gently turned them to lightly pin him against the lockers, though he was careful not to make him feel trapped.

After a moment, Cartman broke the kiss and they locked eyes once again. There was a charged moment between them as they once again found themselves just... staring.

"Still hate me?"

" _So God damn much_." He whispered back with emphasis. Immediately, Eric leaned back down continuing to kiss him deeply as he ran his fingers through his ginger locks, paying no mind to the green hat that fell easily off the shorter man's head.

Another few moments pass before he slowly pulls away again, looking desperately into his eyes with the same unspoken question.

 _Maybe I am in love with you._

Kyle continued to glower at him before wrapping both of his arms around the taller man and pulling him down, now being the one to initiate the kiss. Unlike Cartman however, he was far from gentle.

 _But I don't trust you._

Kyle wasted no time in capturing Eric's bottom lip between his teeth and letting them sink in. He felt Eric tense and slightly tighten his hold on him but that didn't stop him from aggressively pulling, sinking his teeth in ever further. He had no intention of being nice or caring but all thoughts of that vanished the second he heard the quiet, pained grunt that had managed escaped the other's lips. Immediately, he let go and slightly pulled back to see blood start to well up on the cut he had made. With a sudden change in demeanor he dove back in and tenderly licked the blood off of his quickly bruising lips.

 _Please, please don't hurt me again._


End file.
